Chaminade Resort & Spa

Monterey Bay Panoramas in Santa Cruz

Like a Local

Quirky, under-the-radar highlights only a local could recommend.

McHenry Library’s Grateful Dead Archive

For history-minded Deadheads, this public library at UCSC (University of California, Santa Cruz) is home to a trove of photographs, fan letters, tour passes, and other ephemera that the 1960s countercultural ensemble accumulated over 30 years. Highlights include three skeleton marionettes from the “Touch of Grey” music video and a hand-colored poster from one of author Ken Kesey’s “acid test” parties, where the group served as the house band.

Food Lounge

This downtown eatery and entertainment venue takes an approach more in line with a concert hall than a restaurant. An ever-changing cast of local chefs and bartenders executes a dynamic calendar of pop-up dinners and special culinary events that emphasize local food and singular dining experiences. One evening might see a prix-fixe dinner built around Monterey Bay foraged foods; the next, a tap takeover from a local brewery.

Stripe & Stripe Men

Off the main drag down Walnut Avenue, this pair of men’s and women’s boutiques (separated by a falafel shop) is renowned for striking seasonal decor – a recent archery-themed backdrop included arrows jutting from targets arranged along the back wall. That ambience highlights a locally focused, carefully curated inventory of clothing from small design houses – cashmere sweaters, selvedge denim – as well as jewelry and home goods.

UCSC Arboretum

Tucked on the west side of campus, the 148-acre arboretum features more than 300 native and exotic species from Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. Its half dozen gardens aren’t short on oddities either; some plants sport pink feathers, some resemble rocks, and one – the Australian Banksia spinulosa – looks like a furry, oversized caterpillar.

The Weekender

Friday

5 p.m. | Cruise West Cliff Drive
The four coastline-hugging miles between the wharf and Natural Bridges State Beach are arguably the most dramatic in town, overlooking a historic lighthouse, beaches, surfers paddling out at the Steamer Lane break, and whales breaching in Monterey Bay. Roll the windows down, or get out and stretch your legs on the paved walking and cycling path.

5:30 p.m. | Eat and Drink at Swift Street Courtyard
Once a Brussels sprouts packaging plant, this two-acre complex on the city’s west side provides one-stop shopping for locavores, with a French bakery, butchery, microbrewery, boutiques and clothing outfitters for men and women, and other retail enterprises sharing a single space. It’s also a must for oenophiles, home to Surf City Vintners’s tasting rooms, a family of a dozen different boutique wineries.

1 p.m. | Sample Santa Cruz’s Craft Beer
The Golden State’s craft beer boom is alive and well in Santa Cruz, with more than 20 craft breweries in the area, from New Bohemia Brewing Company on 41st Avenue to Sante Adairius Rustic Ales in Capitola. Book a bus tour with Brew Cruz for on-site tastings at a few of them, as well as clear-headed transportation in between.

5 a.m. | Play at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
Like Coney Island’s West Coast twin, this seaside amusement park on Monterey Bay features 35 rides for all ages, including mini-golf, bumper cars, an arcade, and a 125-foot drop tower called the Double Shot. It’s also home to the Looff Carousel merry-go-round, an early twentieth-century relic that’s on the National Register of Historic Places. Admission to the park is free; rides are priced à la carte.

7 p.m. | Jazz at Jack O’Neill Lounge

If looking for jazz music in an intimate setting, this boardwalk-based surfboard-adorned bar that pays homage to local surf legend and wetsuit pioneer Jack O’Neill is the place to be. Every Saturday night starting at 7 p.m., musicians brought in from the nearby Kuumbwa Jazz Center perform in front of the wall of images that depicts the iconic eye-patch-wearing O’Neill.

Sunday

10 a.m. | Brunch at Sunset Restaurant
Start the day with a feast in the Chaminade’s newly renovated dining area. Their Sunday buffet is outfitted with omelet and Belgian waffle stations, a carving station for prime rib, grilled salmon, French toast, fresh-squeezed orange juice, and endless mimosas. But the real treat is a seat on the outdoor patio that overlooks the bay with redwoods on the margins.

1 p.m. | Hike and Picnic in The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park
With a tree canopy that climbs to 125 feet tall, the 10,000 thick acres of this state park offer dramatic changes in elevation and scenery throughout its 30 miles of trails. To make your introduction, fuel up at the tables of Porter Family Picnic Area, and trek down the Aptos Creek Fire Road, a route through the second-growth redwoods in the park’s central canyon.

Flavor of

The best food artisans, farms, and local markets.

Everett Family Farm

Everett Family Farm

This farm’s stand on Soquel San Jose Road offers an in-season glimpse of what’s growing on the neighboring 45 adjacent acres. Expect dozens of vegetable varieties, fruits, and flowers, and honeycrisp and heirloom apples that are the farm’s signature. In recent years, the owners began dabbling in hard cider, making what they call Soquel Cider, available for purchase around Santa Cruz.

Ashby Confections

Ashby Confections

Behind the taste-tempting turtles, caramels, and other sweets from this Scotts Valley chocolatier is a staunchly artisan approach: handmade and organic and local when possible, like the Monterey Bay sea salt that adorns the salted caramels or the area lavender used in the Meyer lemon lavender truffles. Stop by the retail shop in downtown Santa Cruz for a gift box.

Farmhouse Culture

Farmhouse Culture

Using organic cabbage vegetables, California salt, and tried-and-true lacto-fermentation techniques, this Watsonville company makes small batches of vitamin- and probiotic-rich sauerkraut in five flavors. From smoked jalapeño to ginger beet to the zesty original, they pair with burgers, salads, and the culinary spectrum in between. Find them at the Downtown Santa Cruz Farmers’ Market.

Venus Spirits

Venus Spirits

With a craft-brewer-turned-spirit-maker at the helm, this small-batch Santa Cruz distiller uses organic ingredients, imported copper alembic stills, a 15-barrel brewhouse, and oak barrels to make whiskey (bourbon, rye, and single-malt), Scandinavian aquavit, tequila-esque blue agave spirits, and gin. The latter spirt took consecutive honors at the 2015 and 2016 national Good Food Awards.

The Adventurist

When simply “seeing” a destination just won’t do.

Feature Adventure: Secret Sea Cave

With five-plus hours spent on open ocean and undulating kelp beds, paddling out to the eroded sandstone on the shores of Wilder Ranch State Park isn’t for the weak of stomach or out of breath. But the guided trip with Venture Quest Kayaking, which follows seven downwind miles from Four Mile Beach to Santa Cruz Wharf, rewards fitness with the thrill of sneaking through what’s known as the “Hole in the Wall” cave – more like a 150-foot-long tunnel the width of two Dodge vans – that’s sheltered from the swells. Afterward, you’ll have lunch on the secluded Fern Grotto Beach, not far from nesting seabirds and hauled-out harbor seals.

A zip line eco-adventure

A guided zip line tour through the mountains, just 10 minutes outside of Santa Cruz, will reveal 150-foot views of towering old-growth timber. Each group of eight zip liners is led by two certified guides with extensive ecological knowledge of the forest. Watch your surroundings come to life before your eyes.

Watch the sunset and raise your glass

Two-hour sunset sail through Monterey Bay while tasting vintages from a cast of local vintners. Every Friday evening over the summer, Chardonnay Sailing features a new local winery sampling world-class wines paired with delicious hors d'oeuvres.

Surfs Up in Santa Cruz

Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned surfer, a two-and-a-half-hour session at Pleasure Point with a Santa Cruz–bred pro is sure to elevate your surfing. Surf School features some of Santa Cruz's top pro surfers, including Sabrina Sahlstrom, Max Nunes, Kala Buthman, James manss, Brad Shalton, and Bud Freitas.